20110306 - Comparative legal systems - LINGUA GIURIDICA (Global Legal Studies)

Objectives
The course aims at introducing students, with a holistic perspective, to what a legal system is, what are the main differences between them, how to compare them. They main aim is that of showing the extreme complexity of contemporary legal systems and the continuous circulation of models between them.
scheda docente | materiale didattico

Programma

Course description:
The course cuts across traditional – and by now outdated – divisions between public law and private law, between substantive law and procedural law, and between the so-called civil law/common law divide. The course is focused on the Western Legal Tradition and explains the pitfalls of comparisons with non-Western systems.
The course is divided in nine modules with the following content

I Module: Democratic systems
US presidentialism. - British parliamentarism. - Semi-presidential models. - EU concentration of powers. – Electoral systems.

II Module: Values
Constitutionalism. - Bill of rights, fundamental rights, human rights. - Constitutional adjudication. - Rule of law. - Universalism vs Relativism. - The religious factor

III Module: Government
The structure of Government. - Administration. - “Independent Agencies”. - Public participation in administrative procedures. - Judicial control over Government

IV Module: The economic dimension
Private autonomy. - Legal entities. – Insolvency. – Regulation. - State aid

V Module: The “Welfare State”
Taxation. - Social services. - Labour relations and legislation

VI Module: Repression of Crimes
Substantive law vs. Procedural law. - What is a crime? - Who establishes crimes? – Sanctions. - Investigation, prosecution, trial. - Offenders and victims
VII Module: Judges and jurisdiction
Status of judges. - Judicial organization. - Rules of procedure. - Judicial power. - Legal education. - Judges and/as literature

VIII Module: Models for a globalized world
International conventions. - Uniform laws. - Lex Mercatoria. - International institutions. – Comparative international law.

IX Module: The Brexit Saga
Constitutional referenda – The Government-Parliament tug-of-war – The UK/EU Negotiations – In search of a parliamentary majority – The constitutional and administrative consequences of Brexit – The economic effects of Brexit

Class schedule
Lessons will be held, starting on Monday, March 2nd, every Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday from 4 pm to 6 pm, excepting public holidays and when academic activity is suspended, following the topics listed in the course description (above).

Testi Adottati

Course textbook:
V. ZENO-ZENCOVICH, Comparative legal systems. A short and illustrated introduction (second editon), Roma TrE-Press, 2019 (volume in open access downloadable from the Roma TrE-Press website: http://romatrepress.uniroma3.it/repository/3/pdf/411cd19a-ecff-457b-a14a-815988f7ada5.pdf)